International Marketing Chapter 05

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture, Management Style, and Business

SystemsChapter 5

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Learning Objectives

LO1 The necessity for adapting to cultural differencesLO2 How and why management styles vary around

the worldLO3 The extent and implications of gender bias in

other countriesLO4 The importance of cultural differences in business ethicsLO5 The differences between relationship-oriented

and information-oriented cultures

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Business Customs in Global Marketing

• Business etiquette is largely driven by cultural norms.

• Cultural analysis often pinpoints market opportunities, gives companies a competitive edge

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Requires Adaptation

Adaptation is a key concept in international marketing To successfully deal with individuals, firms, or authorities in

foreign countries, managers should exhibit:• open tolerance, • flexibility, • humility, • justice/fairness, • ability to adjust to varying tempos, • curiosity/interest, • knowledge of the country, • liking for others, • ability to command respect, and • ability to integrate oneself into the environment

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Cultural Imperatives, Electives and Exclusives

• Cultural imperatives: – business customs and expectations that

must be met, conformed, recognized and accommodated if relationships are to be successful

• Cultural electives:– areas of behavior or to customs that

cultural aliens may wish to conform to or participate in but that are not required

BEIJING, CHINA: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao toast after the EU–China Business Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The summit was boosted by the settlement of a trade row that had left 80 million Chinese-made garments piled up in European seaports, unable to be delivered to shops under a quota pact agreed to at the time. Drinking half a bottle is a cultural elective, but taking a sip is more of an imperative in this case.

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Cultural Imperatives, Electives and Exclusives

• Cultural exclusives: – customs or behavior patterns reserved exclusively

for the locals and from which the foreigner is barred and must not participate

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The Impact of American Culture Ways in which U.S. culture has influenced

management style include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Personnel selection and reward based on merit2. Decisions based on objective analysis3. Wide sharing in decision making4. Never-ending quest for improvement5. Competition yielding efficiency

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American Culture and Management Style

• There are at least three reasons to focus briefly on American culture and management style:1. for Americans, it is important to be aware of the

elements of culture influencing decisions and behaviors.

2. for those new to American culture, it is useful to better understand business associates from the States as the U.S. market is the biggest export market in the world

3. since the late 1990s, American business culture has been exported around the world

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Differences in Management Styles Around the World Authority and Decision Making

• In high-PDI countries subordinates are not likely to contradict bosses, but in low-PDI countries they often do

• Three typical patterns exist: 1. top-level management decisions, 2. decentralized decisions, and 3. committee or group decisions

Management Objectives and Aspirations• Security and Mobility• Personal Life• Affiliation and Social Acceptance • Power and Achievement

Insert Exhibit 5.1Annual Hours Worked

Source: OECD, Labor Market Indicators, 2012.

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Differences in Management Styles Around the World Differences in Communication Styles

• Face to Face Communication• Internet Communication

According to Edward T. Hall, the symbolic meanings of time, space, things, friendships, and agreements, vary across cultures

Hall places eleven cultures along a high-context/low-context continuum

Communication in a high-context culture depends heavily on the contextual (who says it, when it is said, how it is said) or nonverbal aspects of communication

Communication in a low-context culture depends more on explicit, verbally expressed communications

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Differences in Management Styles Around the World Formality and Tempo• Level of formality in addressing business clients by first

name • Level of formality in addressing your boss by first name • Tempo or speed in getting “down to business” • Perception of time varies in many cultures

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Differences in Management Styles Around the World P-Time versus M-Time• M-time, or monochronic time, typifies most North

Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scandinavians • Most low-context cultures operate on M-time

concentrating on one thing at a time • P-time, or polychronic time, is more dominant in high-

context cultures• P-time is characterized by multi-tasking and by “a great

involvement with people”

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Differences in Management Styles Around the World Negotiations Emphasis• Differences with respect to the product, its price and

terms, services associated with the product, and finally, friendship between vendors and customers

Market Orientation• American companies are embracing the market

orientation philosophy • Other countries are still in the traditional production,

product and selling orientations

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Gender Bias in International Business

• The gender bias against women managers exists in some countries – Women are not easily accepted in

upper level management roles in Asia, Middle East, and Latin America (although this is changing)

• Gender bias poses significant challenges in cross-cultural negotiations

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Business Ethics

• Business ethics is complex in the international marketplace because value judgments differ widely among culturally diverse groups

• Corruption varyingly defined from culture to culture

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Business Ethics

• Existence of different levels of corruption, bribery, and fraud– The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act 1977:

Imprisonment for bribery • Bribery creates a major conflict between

ethics and profitability

Transparency International

Transparency International - USA

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Bribery: Variations on a Theme

• Bribery– Voluntarily offered payment by

someone seeking unlawful advantage• Extortion– Payments are extracted under duress

by someone in authority from a person seeking only what they are lawfully entitled

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Bribery:Variations on a Theme

• Lubrication– Involves a relatively small sum of cash, a gift, or a

service given to a low-ranking official in a country where such offerings are not prohibited by law

• Subornation– Involves giving large sums of money— frequently

not properly accounted for—designed to entice an official to commit an illegal act on behalf of the one offering the bribe; involves breaking the law

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A Framework for Ethical Principles

(1) Utilitarian ethicsDoes the action optimize the “common good” or benefits of all constituencies? And, who are the

pertinent constituencies?

(2) Rights of the parties Does the action respect the rights of the individuals involved?

(3) Justice or fairness Does the action respect the canons of justice or fairness to all parties involved?

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